


And Then There's Mable

by RougueShadowWolf



Series: 15 Minutes [182]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Child Abandonment, Deputy Jordan Parrish, F/M, Supportive Sheriff Stilinski
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-11
Updated: 2018-04-11
Packaged: 2019-04-18 18:40:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14219343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RougueShadowWolf/pseuds/RougueShadowWolf
Summary: Mable was his priority, had always been his priority and the reason why he may have seriously considered taking his own life if there was a chance that would land his daughter with five-freaking-million-bloody-dollars.





	And Then There's Mable

**Author's Note:**

> Greetings everybody. 
> 
> It has been a great while since I've done a 15Minutes run, stuff has happened so it has been pushed to the side as have updates to various fic's. Hopefully now that I'm trying to drag my ass out of the pit I fell into when Death once more came to call and stole a piece of my heart, that I'll find myself able once more to do what I love like writing and updating fic's. 
> 
> So, to those unfamiliar with the 15Minutes series know this, each tale is written within the time of 15 Minutes and thus there will be a great deal of mistakes to be found here, poor grammar too and the tale might end sharply for once the time is up my fingers are no longer allowed to type down whatever is left to be told. Each tale is also a form of payment to my friends, and they give me a hint of what they want me to write and then I attempt to write it. 
> 
> Now, my fancy friend Acrylic-Alchemist wanted a fic with Jordan Parrish, but a dad Parrish at that, but with a hint of angst there too. I did my best with what I was given.

Walking into the apartment in which he lived alone, at least for now, Jordan Parrish thought about the price on his head. He couldn’t really understand how anyone could even think his life was even worth half of that, but someone obviously did and that should’ve bothered him more than it really did.

_`Maybe I should kill myself. ´_ the words he’d spoken not too long ago haunting him, they made him feel uneasy since he’d found the idea a little bit too tempting.

  _`Maybe I **should** kill myself. ´_ Jordan thinks again, after all _five-freaking-million-bloody-dollars_ was a lot money, it was a ridiculous amount of money for someone like him. All that money, all those lovely dollars, could do so much for his daughter. All that money could do so much more for Mable than what Jordan might ever be able to do for his daughter.

 It was tempting, very tempting, truly tempting to just kill himself if of course he could be sure that the bounty went to his daughter, and his daughter alone. Maybe he could make sure someone he trusted would keep the money safe and far from the greedy clutches of his ex, to keep the money safe and waiting until Mable was old-enough to leave for college.

 He wasn’t eager to do something to remove himself from Mable permanently, not when that would surely leave his daughter haunted by his actions, possibly questioning whether or not her dad had ever really loved her. Jordan couldn’t do that to Mable even if he’d never had the chance to be the father he wanted to be for her, he didn’t want to cause her any distress not unless it would do something good for her; hell, if his ex were to call him now, and promise him that if he cut his arm off that he could have Mable then Jordan would do it, he’d do it because what was an arm for a daughter he loved?

 There were various reasons that had kept him from being the father he should’ve been able to be.

 Days after his daughter was born, a baby girl created by accident but loved greatly by him, Jordan was deployed overseas to fight in a war he had no faith would end in his lifetime or that of Mable; it was disheartening how the rabid war dogs in power would forever keep his country at war, and Jordan was determined to keep Mable as far from their clutches as possible, his child would not be sacrificed for the fat cats that made money out of war.

 While a still naïve Jordan did his best to serve his country without getting himself killed, his girlfriend and the mother of his child broke-up with him. Certainly the break-up hadn’t come as a great surprise, not when they’d always had a relationship that wasn’t a healthy one, but he’d never imagined that once he came back home that Amy wouldn’t let him even see their daughter; at least she didn’t allow him any access to him without paying her more than just the child support he’d agreed too the second she’d asked for it, and although he knew it wasn’t right Jordan had agreed to pay the price to see and spend an hour or two with Mable.

 It wasn’t until he realized that Amy increased the price of seeing Mable almost after each visitation, it wasn’t until he realized that he no longer could afford paying the price that Jordan came to his senses, and since then the extra payments went to a lawyer; and the moment Jordan began to fight for his rights, the battle was on, Amy and her sleazy ass lawyer played dirty.

With a sigh Jordan made his way through the apartment his lawyer had encourage him to get, his steps heavy and slow. There was a room all set-up for Mable, a room he’d spent a couple of his days of decorating, used pieces of furniture with a fresh coat of paint to make them appear less battered and old.

 Although Jordan didn’t honestly believe anymore that he’d gain custody of his daughter, he was prepared for the chance of overnight visits with the list of emergency babysitters stuck to his fridge, a list the Sheriff had given him; and while Jordan had lost faith he’d ever gain the custody of his daughter, Noah Stilinski had talked to the lady that ran the daycare down the street from the station, making arrangements that if Mable came to stay permanently with Jordan that she had a daycare to go too.

 A sad sigh leaves Jordan as he sees the closed door with the colorful wooden letters spelling out _Room of Princess Mable_.

Standing there in the narrow hall, one hand on the doorknob of his own bedroom door, Jordan thinks once more about the price on his head.

 It _was_ tempting, it _really_ was tempting to secure all that money for his daughter and free himself of this purgatory he was stuck in because of Amy. He missed his daughter, a child he’d hadn’t spent enough hours with to pass for a year even though his kid was not too far from turning four, what sort of dad had a four-year old child with whom he hadn’t really spent even enough time to add-up to seven-months?

 Ending his life and escaping his situation was tempting, but leaving his daughter with the legacy of having a father who killed himself wasn’t something he was willing to do. Jordan sure as hell didn’t want his daughter to think for a second, not for a fraction of a second that he didn’t love her enough to stay around, to fight for her.

 With another sigh Jordan steps inside his own bedroom, and quickly locks away his gun and badge inside the small safe that the Sheriff had helped him pick-out. Once his gun was safely locked away, Jordan sat down on his bed feeling suddenly incredibly exhausted. His eyes moving over to the framed picture of his daughter that sat upon the dresser, a dresser that held all of his civilian clothes, a picture he’d taken during his previous visit with his daughter, a supervised visit no less since Amy had made ridiculous claims about him planning to abduct Mable and vanish with her. 

 It was a nice picture, Mable was smiling up at the camera, eyes bright and beautiful.   

 Picking-up the phone he’d discarded on the bed as soon as he walked into the bedroom, and dials his ex-girlfriend number, his heart beats twice as fast as he waits to hear whether or not Amy had _again_ changed the number or worse. Amy would move without warning, leaving Jordan fearing for weeks if not months that he’d never see or speak to his daughter again. Jordan suspected that Amy found a sick sort of pleasure from tormenting him so, she’d always had a vicious and cruel side which was one of the reasons he wanted Mable with him.  

 He chews on his thumbnail anxiously, waiting to learn if he’ll spend the following month trying to learn where his daughter was. The wait is horrible, absolutely dreadful, and he’s just about to lose it thinking Amy was back to her old-tricks when _finally, finally,_ he hears a familiar and very young voice answer the phone.

 `Hello? ´ the familiar young voice of his daughter greets him, and Jordan can finally breathe properly, but his heart continues to race with a maddening speed within his chest.

 A broken laugh leaves him, a choked-out sound that he’d attempted to hide behind his hand but it broke free but thankfully Mable didn’t notice the desperate sound.  

`Hi princess, it’s daddy. ´ Jordan says voice a little bit shaky with relief, the happy and excited shriek that escapes Mable brings a smile on his face, a warmth spreading from his heart all the way down to his toes.

 `Daddy! ´ Mable declares loudly, the joy she hears in her voice both makes him feel incredibly happy and miserable, he hates not seeing his daughter more than once or twice a month depending on Amy’s excuses.

`Hi princess, what are you up too? ´ Jordan asks as he lies down on his bed, resting one hand over his heart that felt very real and there now, and any thoughts of killing himself for five-million-dollars flew out the window.

 `Watching TV. ´ his daughter tells him, always honest. Jordan was proud of the earnest nature of his daughter, it had saved him a lot of heartache and caused Amy a great deal of headache.

 `Oh really, anything good on TV? ´ Jordan asks well aware that Mable would tell him everything about the show she was watching, going on and on about the animals and Jordan hears the distinctive voice of David Attenborough speaking in the distant background. Mable loved wildlife and nature, there wasn’t a creepy-crawly she didn’t find fascinating or worth saving and protecting, and Jordan might’ve promised her that one day he’d take her camping so she could be as close to nature as possible.

 Jordan might not care about the show or the creatures on the TV, but he enjoyed listening to his daughter speak.

He lays there, listening to his daughter go on and on, his eyes the ones he shared with his daughter. Jordan isn’t entirely sure for how long Mable has been talking about the wonders of nature when there’s suddenly a pause, Attenborough no longer speaking in the background.

 There’s something about that pause that makes him feel incredibly uneasy, and just as he’s about to ask what’s wrong, thinking Amy is probably telling Mable to end the call instead of just doing it herself, but then his daughter asks him, `Daddy, when is Amy coming home? ´

 Jordan’s heart skips a beat then and he sits up immediately, he’s not sure how long he’s been laying there on his bed enjoying the phone call with his daughter, he’s unaware of how long his daughter has been talking, but he knows it’s been too long to be normal. Amy never allows him more than fifteen-minutes, and that’s on Mable’s birthday and on Christmas.

 `What’s that baby?  he asks, his heart racing once more.

 `When is Amy coming home? ´ his daughter asks him again, and Jordan does his best not to freak-the-hell-out since Amy could easily have just stepped out for a moment ago and Mable just wanted to make sure it was alright to say something Amy might not like.

 Amy might’ve just stepped out to take out the trash, there was no reason to panic this much he knows, and yet he is suddenly full of dread.

 `I’m sure she’ll be back soon. ´ he says trying to keep his voice steady and calm so not to upset his daughter, but as soon as he’s spoken there’s something inside of him that doesn’t think Amy is going to come back. Call it a gut instinct or something, Jordan just feels it in his bones that something isn’t right.

 `When daddy?  ´ Mable asks, and the quiver in her voice breaks his heart, his daughter is close to tears and Jordan can’t do a damn thing about it.

`I’m sure she’ll be back soon. ´ his response seems to only make his daughter upset, he can clearly hear Mable start to cry, and she does it as quietly as possibly, trying no doubt to be brave for him.

`But – but I’m hungwe. ´ Mable said before starting to cry without shame, `I’m hungwe and scawed. ´

 Jordan feels helpless to do anything other than to ask his daughter to think back to when Amy had left, and why she’d done so, after all if Amy was just out throwing out the trash then everything would be alright.

 ` Mable, honey, when did Amy leave? And why did she leave? ´

It takes Mable a little while before she’s able to give him an answer, clearly giving his question a great deal of consideration, her answer comes out tearful, `I don’t know, I was having cereal. ´

 That has him standing-up, he knew Amy only ever gave Mable cereal in the morning, never for a snack only for breakfast, and it was almost Mable’s bedtime. Jordan knows something is very much wrong, but he does his best not let his daughter that he’s suddenly close to losing it.

 `She didn’t come back, ´ Mable cries into the phone, and it shatters Jordan’s already broken heart.

 Jordan starts to make his way out of his apartment, grabbing his keys on his way out.

 `Mable, honey, daddy is going to call a friend, alright? ´ the word friend soured in his mouth when talking about the dick-bag that was Amy’s lawyer, `and one of daddy’s friends too, alright? ´ Jordan tells his daughter before telling her a lie he wished he wouldn’t have to tell her, `Everything is going to be fine.  ´

 

**~*~**

It was late, later than what he’d thought it would be when he and Mable finally arrived in Beacon Hills. But regardless of the hour Jordan was wide-awake as he stepped out of the lift while carrying his still sleeping daughter, her weight comforting against his own body as he moved to carry her to her new home.

There was a part of Jordan that still couldn’t believe that he was finally allowed to take Mable home with him, and to keep her for a time he could not take for granted. Amy wouldn’t just leave him and Mable be, she’d eventually come back and face the consequences of leaving their three-year old daughter home alone while she went on a holiday with her Romeo, and once that was done she’d try and take Mable from him.

Jordan could only hope that Amy’s actions, the pictures taken of Mable and the apartment would be enough to sway any judge in his favor. Just the fact that Amy hated with a disturbing passion being called mom or even mother, was in Jordan’s opinion enough proof that she shouldn’t be trusted to raise Mable.

Stepping out of the small elevator, Jordan took a slow and deep breath, there’s a part of him that expects to see his ex-girlfriend waiting for him, ready to scream his head-off and threatening to never allow him see Mable again, and for a moment he does think that it is Amy banging on his apartment door all furious and fierce looking.

 He’s almost dialed the station when he realizes this furious woman, years younger than Mable’s mother, was shorter and less dull in shape and with a great deal more fashion sense than Amy ever possessed.

 `Lydia? ´ Jordan says, voice low even while surprised. He hadn’t expected to see Lydia so soon, or that she’d be standing there outside his apartment door before he had even a chance to gently break the news he had a kid, a daughter of almost four-years old, a daughter he now realizes shares the same hair color as Lydia.

 Lydia turned around sharply to face him, her heals firmly placed against the floor and her stance unwavering. Her beautiful face hard with anger and eyes bright and sharp with fury, and her painted lips part ready no doubt to rip him to pieces with unkind words, but then when her eyes catch sight of the little girl in his arms her mouth closes and a surprised look washed over her.

 `I can explain. ´is the first-thing he says, before asking her to give him a chance to explain. Mouth closed, lips thin and tight, Lydia nods.

 `Thank you. ´ he says. starting towards the apartment door, Lydia stepping aside just enough to give him access to the door.

 As he searches for the right key, Mable starts to stir awake and Jordan doesn’t get a chance to say anything before his daughter looks over at Lydia and waves at Lydia and chirps out a shy, `Hi. ´

 Lydia looks a bit taken aback by Mable’s attention, but she recovers quickly enough.

 `Hi. ´ her voice reveals the uneasiness within Lydia, but there’s a degree of friendliness there that seems to be enough for Mable to sit-up a little bit straighter and speak once more to Lydia.

 `I’m Mable. ´ and there she goes, his daughter, reaching out her tiny hand to shake hands with Lydia who takes it and shakes it, just as Jordan unlocks the apartment door.

 `Hi, Mable. My name is Lydia. How do you know Deputy Parrish here? ´ Lydia asks, and Jordan shouldn’t be surprised that Lydia wouldn’t wait for him to give her the answers but seek them out for herself.

 Mable pulls her hand free from Lydia’s not that the strawberry-blond woman with a sharp mind attempted to keep a hold of her, and suddenly there are a pair of little arms around his neck and Mable declares proudly.

 `He’s my daddy. ´


End file.
